Department for Transport

Travel: Coronavirus

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to limit travel into the UK to those who havehad a negative COVID-19 test.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State for Transport announced on 8 January that the Government will introduce a requirement for all international arrivals to have received a negative result for a coronavirus test taken no more than three days prior to their departure to England from 4am 18 January. Children under the age of 11 and those unable to take a test for medical reasons will be exempt. There will also be a limited number of exemptions for those whom taking a test within three days of departure and receiving a result on time would be impossible, such as hauliers and international transport crew. All other existing measures remain in place, including the need to self-isolate for 10 days (or 5 days if you choose to opt into Test to Release scheme) after leaving a place not on the Travel Corridor list.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of electric charging points for vehicles in England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Figures from 1 October 2020 show that there are 16,456 public charging devices in England. The number of electric vehicle charging device grants, issued under various schemes are presented in the table below. It is possible that one grant can pay for more than one charging device. Figures are from 1 October 2020. Number of Grants Issued in EnglandPrivate Domestic Charging Device Grants1129,608Workplace Charging Device Vouchers 13,159On-Street Residential Scheme (ORCS)292 Data on both private charging domestic and workplace devices comes from three Office for Zero Emission Vehicle (OZEV) grant schemes: the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) for businesses; the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) and its predecessor, the Domestic Recharge Scheme (DRS) for private domestic charging devices.Local authorities can apply for funding to help with the cost of installation of on-street charging points for residential use under ORCS. This figure includes projects which are in progress and may be included in the public charging device figures.

Biofuels

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the availability of biodiesel made from used cooking oil for vehicles in England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In 2019 54% of total renewable fuel supplied under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was produced from used cooking oil (UCO), this comprised seventy nine per cent of biodiesel. Estimates of future volumes of renewable fuel supply were included in “Cost Benefit Analysis: Amendments to the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations Order” which accompanied the Renewable Transport Fuels and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations 2018. Appendix 3 of the cost benefit analysis includes estimates of total waste based biodiesel supply.

Tolls: Greater London

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Greater London Authority about the potential impact on business of proposals to extend the congestion charging zone; and what has been the outcome of any such discussions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government agreed a further extraordinary funding and financing package for TfL in October 2020 of up to £1.7 billion to ensure the continuation of public transport services in London. Transport in London is devolved and decisions around the congestion charge are a matter for the Mayor. The Mayor recently confirmed his plans to maintain the current temporary changes to the daily charge, operating hours and days of the Congestion Charge into 2021/22.

Driving Licences: Coronavirus

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 13 January (HL11904), what advice they have provided to people whose driving licences expire in January, or later, who are having difficulty renewing online and who are self-isolating.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Drivers who cannot apply to renew their licence online will need to make a postal application direct to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). If required, a driving licence application form can be requested by contacting the DVLA’s contact centre. Information about making a postal application and providing a new photo is available on gov.uk.

Driving Licences: Coronavirus

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tomake driving licence renewal forms available by post to vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The DVLA sends a renewal application form to all drivers who are aged 70 or over 90 days before their licence is due to expire. The DVLA also sends renewal reminders to drivers who need to renew their photocard licence 56 days before it expires. These reminders can be used to renew a licence online or at a post office. Drivers can request the relevant application form from the DVLA’s contact centre or a post office that offers a driver licensing service, if they would prefer to make a postal application.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Internet

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve the website webchat services provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Over recent months the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has made a number of enhancements to both its webchat and associated chatbot services. It has introduced seven new services that include a webchat/chatbot service for queries relating to online driver licensing, the EU transition and the pandemic. The DVLA intends to roll out webchat to further services over the coming months and keeps the service under continuous review based on customer feedback.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of closing the (1) telephone helpline, and (2) online advisory support service, of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority; and what plans they have to reinstate these services.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s contact centre is open between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on a Saturday. The DVLA’s online services remain available as are the electronic contact centre services provided through email, webchat and social media support channels.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) applications have been made to, and (2) vouchers issued under, the Green Homes Grant scheme; what is the total value of any such (a) applications, and (b) vouchers; and what is the regional distribution of (i) the applications, (ii) issued vouchers, and (iii) payouts,relating tothat scheme.

Lord Callanan: As of 16:22, 11 January 2021, 60,759 grant applications have been received, corresponding to 93,569 vouchers and a total cost of works of £464.3m applications received1. Of these, 14,902 vouchers have been issued [reporting 12:19:59, 11.01.2021].Grant applications2, given by region, are as follows [reporting 16:22:00, 11.01.2021]: North East: 2,139Yorkshire and the Humber: 8,621North West: 10,481East Midlands: 6,032West Midlands: 7,243London: 5,894East of England: 6,083South East: 7,153South West: 6,831 Grant applications3 that have been issued vouchers, given by region, are as follows [reporting 16:22:00, 11.01.2021]: North East: 492Yorkshire and the Humber: 1,593North West: 1,601East Midlands: 1,491West Midlands: 1,640London: 1,373East of England: 1,727South East: 1,895South West: 1,359 The first vouchers have been redeemed, and more vouchers are being redeemed every day. BEIS will continue to monitor application data as the scheme progresses. Homeowners and landlords submit grant applications for energy efficiency and clean heat measures they want to install in their properties, under the scheme. Once approved, vouchers are issued for each measure that has been applied for. 1 This value has been derived by taking the sum of the cost of all works applied for within the scheme, for all applications to date. 2 The total grant applications by region is 60,477. This differs from the headline total of 60,759 due to a slightly different reporting period. 3 The values provided for this figure describes the regional breakdown of grant applications that have been issued vouchers. This is different to the regional breakdown of vouchers, in that more one application may generate more than one voucher.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to offer financial assistance to the owners of small businesses that are required to close as a result of restrictions put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic and who can furlough their employees but not themselves.

Lord Callanan: Substantial grant support is being made available for businesses that are required to close or which are severely affected by restrictions put in place to tackle Covid-19 and save lives. Businesses that are mandated to close due to the national or local Covid restrictions are eligible for up to £1,500 for each 14-day period of closure. Local authorities may also choose to provide grant funding for businesses via the discretionary grant schemes. Further to this, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced on the 5th January an additional one-off top-up grant of up to £9,000 for business required to close. Additionally a top-up to the Additional Restrictions Grant of £500m has been announced, alongside the £1.1 bn of discretionary funds made available in November 2020. The application deadline for three Coronavirus business interruption loan schemes – the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme – has been extended. Eligible businesses will be able to ‘top up’ existing Bounce Back Loans should they need additional finance.

Consumer Goods: Electrical Safety

Lord Tope: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Office of Product Safety and Standards intends to address the sale on online marketplaces of unsafe electrical goods.

Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to ensuring that only safe products can be sold in the UK. Both Local Authority Trading Standards and my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State, through the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), have powers to take action against manufacturers, importers or distributors who sell unsafe electrical goods, including the power to require third-party sellers to recall unsafe products. Trading Standards also have the power to take action against online selling platforms within the UK jurisdiction where they engage in unfair trading practices. OPSS proactively engages with major online marketplaces to ensure that they are playing their part in protecting UK consumers from unsafe goods. OPSS is currently conducting a review of the Product Safety framework to ensure it is fit for purpose, protects consumers, and enables businesses to innovate and grow. It will also consider the impact on product safety of new technologies and new business models, including e-commerce.

Northern Ireland Office

Retail Trade: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the impactof reported stock shortagesat food and otherretail outlets in Northern Ireland, following the end ofthe transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU and the implementation of theProtocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Goods are flowing effectively and in normal volumes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and no disruption has been reported at Northern Ireland ports.The UK Government’s Trader Support Service (TSS) is an end-to-end service which guides traders through all import processes at no additional cost. The TSS provides free advice and support to businesses of all sizes and since 1 January 2021, where the correct data are provided, over 99% of TSS processed declarations have been completed within 15 minutes.In addition, the agreement that the UK Government reached on the Northern Ireland Protocol provides a sensible, phased solution under which trusted traders such as supermarkets and their suppliers will benefit from a three month grace period from official certification. The grace periods for businesses moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are in operation and working well. We recognise some challenges faced by the haulage industry, such as on the issue of groupage, and we are working intensively with industry to resolve these. We continue to work closely with traders as they adapt to the new arrangements.

Business: Northern Ireland

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the operation of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland and its impact on commercial and retail businesses since 1 January.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The transition period has ended and the Protocol is now in operation. Goods are continuing to flow effectively and we are seeing that in the overall volumes, with high confidence in supplies, including for supermarkets. The Government’s focus is on seeing that continue. That means working through individual issues where they arise and supporting traders to engage with the requirements for moving goods. The Government is engaging regularly with Northern Ireland businesses to this end, including through the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s Business Engagement Forum which has met at least 24 times since June of last year. The free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS) and Movement Assistance Scheme also support businesses engaged in new processes under the Protocol. Where the correct data are provided, over 99% of TSS-processed declarations have been completed within 15 minutes.

UK Government-Northern Ireland Executive Joint Board

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the United Kingdom Government–Northern Ireland Executive Joint Board last met; and what was discussed.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The most recent meeting of the Joint Board was on 21 October 2020. Consistent with the Joint Board’s purpose, a number of issues relating to the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach agreement were discussed. It was acknowledged that whilst Covid-19 has impeded the implementation of the ambitious programme of public service transformation set out in NDNA, good progress has been made on investing the £50million worth of funding for decarbonisation, in particular on addressing public transport emissions.

Northern Ireland Parliament: Anniversaries

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to mark the centenary of the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: In line with the Government's New Decade, New Approach commitments, Northern Ireland’s centenary provides an opportunity to facilitate national recognition and international awareness of this important anniversary, in which we will both reflect on the past and build for the future. There are a number of key historical milestones which fall during the centenary year, one of which is the anniversary of the opening of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, which we are keen to see marked. There are a number of important strands to our centenary programme, including historical understanding and engagement, as well as supporting trade and investment which will showcase Northern Ireland’s rich potential, giving crucial support to its recovery from the pandemic. We also want to focus on the future, especially our young people, and will ensure that their voices are heard in the centenary programme. We are currently developing these plans and will be publicising them over the coming months.

Ports: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial resources are being made available to the Northern Ireland Executive to erect border inspection posts at ports in Northern Ireland.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The expansion of existing point of entry facilities in Northern Ireland for agrifood goods handled under the Protocol is being led by the Northern Ireland Executive with UK Government support. In giving effect to these limited new procedures required under the Northern Ireland Protocol, we have been focused on keeping the facilities for checking animals and agrifood products at Belfast Port, Larne, Warrenpoint and Foyle to a minimum, reflecting the proportionate approach adopted. We have provided the funds to support this work, with £50m in support thus far, including £5m for the interim facilities that will operate in some areas from 1 January 2021 while the full builds are completed.

Department for Education

Remote Education: WiFi

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children and young people have been provided with free WiFi to enable virtual working from home.

Baroness Berridge: We are partnering with the UK’s leading mobile network operators to provide free data to disadvantaged families which will support access to education resources, including Oak National Academy, and other websites.We are grateful to Three, EE, Tesco Mobile, Smarty, Sky Mobile, Virgin Mobile, O2 and Vodafone. We continue to invite a range of mobile network providers to support the offer.The country’s major telecommunications providers are also working to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting them from data charges.We have also provided over 54,000 4G wireless routers, with free data for the academic year so that children continue to have access to remote education.

Turing Scheme: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether students in Northern Ireland will have access to the Turing scheme.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Yes. The Turing scheme will be UK-wide. Universities, colleges, and schools in Northern Ireland will be eligible to bid for funding under the scheme, so that students in Northern Ireland can benefit from the opportunities of study and work placements abroad.

Turing Scheme: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on greenhouse gas emissions of the replacement of the Erasmus+ Scheme with the Turing scheme; and what plans they have to mitigate any such impact.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The government is committed to bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – being the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming in this way. In order to achieve this target, we are building on our Clean Growth Strategy and recognise the importance of considering the environmental impact across all policy areas, including the recently announced Turing Scheme. We also note the importance of academic and educational exchange in driving forward international work to combat this shared challenge.

Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the evidence on which they based their decision to allow early years settings to remain open while all other education settings have beenclosed for the physical attendance of the majority of students; and if not, why not.

Baroness Berridge: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 4 January 2021 that early years settings remain open for all children during the national lockdown. Details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home.Schools have been restricted because additional measures are needed to contain the spread of COVID-19. The wider significant restrictions in place as part of the national lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 enable us to continue prioritising keeping nurseries and childminders open, supporting parents, and delivering the crucial care and education needed for our youngest children.Early years settings remain low risk environments for children and staff. Current evidence suggests that pre-school children (0 to 5 years) are less susceptible to infection and are unlikely to be playing a driving role in transmission. There is no evidence the new strain of the virus causes more serious illness in either children or adults and there is no evidence that the new variant of coronavirus disproportionately affects young children.This report from PHE shows that, at present under 5s have the lowest confirmed case rate of all age groups: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports.Public Health England (PHE) advice remains that the risk of transmission and infection is low if early years settings follow the system of controls, which reduce risks and create inherently safer environments.Early years settings have been open to all children since 1 June and there is no evidence that the early years sector has contributed to a rise in virus cases within the community. Early modelling evidence from SAGE showed that early years provision had a smaller relative impact on transmission rate when modelled with both primary schools and secondary schools.Early years childcare providers were one of the first sectors to have restrictions lifted last summer, in recognition of the key role they play in society. Childminders and nursery staff across the country have worked hard to keep settings open throughout COVID-19 so that young children can be educated, and parents can work. The earliest years are the most crucial point of child development and attending early education lays the foundation for lifelong learning and supports children’s social and emotional development. We continue to prioritise keeping early years settings open in full because of the clear benefits to children’s education and wellbeing and to support working parents. Caring for the youngest age group is not something that can be done remotely.These plans are being kept under review in the light of emerging scientific evidence. We are working with the scientific community to understand the properties and dynamics of the new variant VUI-202012/01 in relation to children and young people.

Schools: Coronavirus

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) advice, and (2) additional support, (a) special schools, and (b) alternative provision settings, will receive to enable them to stay open safely for those students who need to attend physically while there are restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Berridge: We published guidance on 7 January 2021 setting out how we want all schools to operate during this new lockdown. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.The guidance makes it clear that all schools, alternative provision (AP), special schools, colleges and wraparound childcare and other out-of-school activities for children should allow vulnerable children and young people and the children of critical workers to attend (recognising that the characteristics of the cohorts in special schools and alternative provision will mean these settings continue to offer face to face provision for all pupils, where appropriate). As well as setting out our expectations, the guidance includes advice on a range of matters including public health advice on minimising coronavirus risks, opening hours, recording attendance, transport, workforce, school funding and remote learning.We must ensure as far as possible that vulnerable children and young people continue to receive high-quality education and support because we know that they, and their families, can be disproportionately impacted by being out of education. Therefore, we expect AP schools to remain open to vulnerable children and young people (along with children of critical workers) and to actively encourage those they consider to be vulnerable – identified in partnership with local services - to attend provision. AP should provide robust remote learning for those who are not attending. Similarly, special schools should continue to welcome and encourage pupils to attend full-time where parents/carers wish for their child to attend. Special post-16 settings should also continue to welcome and encourage students to attend as per their usual timetable where the young person wishes to attend.We will continue to update guidance and support in due course, providing more detailed advice and support for special schools and AP.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nigeria: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Genocide Watch Nigeria is a Killing Field of Defenseless Christians, published on 13 April 2020, which states that “over 11,500 Christians have been murdered since June 2015”; and what action they have taken (1) to verify the reported figures, or (2) to seek independent verification.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Intersociety 2,200 Nigerian Christians hacked to death in 2020 and 34,400 since 2009, published on 16 December 2020; and what action they have taken (1) to verify the reported figures, or (2) to seek independent verification.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the report from Genocide Watch Nigeria and Intersociety. While we cannot investigate the figures in each individual report, we routinely engage with a range of academics, NGOs, affected communities and other experts, and in particular make use of the data collected by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), to verify the facts on the ground (including shocking reports of killings) and to inform our understanding of developments and trajectories. The Government condemns all violence against civilians in Nigeria, irrespective of their religion.

Nigeria: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about reported killings of Christians in that country; and whenany such representations were last made.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in answer HL9271, the UK Government condemns all violence against civilians in Nigeria. We continue to encourage the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect those at risk of violence, to bring perpetrators to justice, and to implement long-term solutions that address the root causes of violence and meet the needs of all communities. The Minister for Africa has discussed the impact of violence in Nigeria with President Buhari's Chief of Staff. Our High Commissioner visited Kaduna State in December 2020 and met a range of interlocutors, including Christian and Muslim leaders, who recognised the causes of the intercommunal violence are complex and relate frequently to criminality, competition for resources and failures of governance. We will continue to engage with the federal and state authorities to stress the importance of transparent investigations when attacks occur that respect human rights and the rule of law.

Libya: Foreign Relations

Baroness Hoey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs last met the Ambassador of the State of Libya to the UK; and when the Foreign Secretary last discussed with the Ambassador the issue of compensation for victims of Irish Republican Army terrorism carried out using Semtex purchased from Libya.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Ministers and senior officials, including Her Majesty's Ambassador to Libya, continue to impress upon senior Libyan interlocutors the importance of engaging constructively with the UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism, in pursuit of justice. Libya is currently represented in the UK by a Charge d'Affaires.

Iran: USA

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the government of the United States' sanctions against Iran in their discussions about Iran returning to the obligations of theJoint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of the United States about the effect of its sanctions against Iran on the return of the government of Iranto the obligations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcome the prospect of a US return to the JCPoA. President-elect Biden has said that if Iran returns to compliance with the deal, the US would re-enter the agreement and seek to both strengthen it and extend it. This is an important opportunity to restart engagement between Iran and the US, and realise the objectives of the JCPoA which we support. A return to diplomacy represents the best means of bringing greater security to the region, upholding the nuclear non-proliferation regime and preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. We look forward to engaging with the new administration on this issue.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports of the use of (1) force, and (2) firearms, by Israel Defence Force soldiers on Palestinians seeking to prevent the confiscation of property.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by Israeli confiscations of Palestinian homes and structures. The practice of confiscations causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. We continue to urge the Government of Israel to develop improved mechanisms for zoning, planning and permitting in Area C for the benefit of the Palestinian population, including by facilitating local Palestinian participation in such processes. We also continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we advocate transparent investigations.

Eritrea: Armed Forces

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Eritrean soldiers are stealing religious artefacts from churches in Tigray.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are increasingly concerned by the growing weight of credible evidence of the involvement of Eritrean forces in hostilities, including reports of the looting of places of worship, throughout the Tigray region of Ethiopia. We have raised our concerns with Ministers in both governments, making clear the overriding need to protect civilians and adhere to international law and international human rights law. We continue to call for independent, international, investigations into allegations of human right abuses and violations, and that the perpetrators of those incidents that are proven are held to account, whoever they may be.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Sugg on28 January 2020 (HL435), whetherfunding for sexual and reproductive health and rights provided by Official Development Assistance is allocated by (1) financial, or (2) calendar, year.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK Official Development Assistance programme budgets, including for sexual and reproductive health and rights, are allocated by financial year. The answer of 28 January 2020 (PQ HL435) on funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights provided by Official Development Assistance refers to 1) financial years.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Lighting: Pollution Control

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of excess CO2 created as a result of light pollution.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government has not made an assessment specifically of the amount of excess CO2 created as a result of light pollution. Artificial light is a complex issue that falls across a number of central Government departments, the devolved administrations and, on a local level, local authorities and highways authorities. However, the Government is committed to cutting the UK's emissions to net zero by 2050 and has put a wide range of policies in place to achieve this.

Lighting: Pollution Control

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of light pollution on wildlife and the environment.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Defra has published or contributed to a range of assessments of the impact of artificial light on insects and wider biodiversity, as well as global and national assessments of the drivers of biodiversity loss more generally. Following publication of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution’s report, ‘Artificial light in the environment’ in 2009, Defra has supported assessments of impacts of artificial light on insects and on other organisms such as bats. These are published on our science website. Defra has also funded or co-funded national and international assessments of drivers of change on insects and wider biodiversity such as the global IPBES Assessment Report on Pollinators, Pollination and Food Production, which notes effects of light on nocturnal insects may be growing and identifies the need for further study. There have been a number of externally funded studies which have highlighted potential impacts of artificial light pollution on insects, but based on the current available evidence, artificial light is not considered one of the main drivers of species decline. We are confident that we are focusing and taking action on the issues that will make a real difference to insect pollinators. We recognise that there is ongoing research into the topic and together with our academic partners, we will keep this under review.

Lighting: Pollution Control

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what policies exist to encourage local authorities and other public bodies to reduce light pollution levels.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As the department responsible for protecting and enhancing our urban and natural environment, Defra plays a co-ordinating role across Government to ensure coherence in this area.Other departments are responsible for specific policy areas including the Department for Transport for street lighting and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for lighting policy in the planning regime. This includes the National Planning Policy Framework which sets out that local planning policies and their decisions should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light.This Framework is supported by MHCLG planning guidance, which was revised in November 2019 and sets out how environmental and other impacts of light pollution should be considered in the planning system. Local planning authorities must take the Framework into account when preparing their plans and its policies, including those on light pollution.Additionally, a local planning authority can attach conditions to the grant of planning permission, in order to enhance the quality and mitigate the adverse effects of a development, including, for example, noise, air, light and other forms of pollution. It is important to ensure that conditions are tailored to tackle specific problems, rather than standardised or used to impose broad unnecessary controls.Local highway authorities have a duty under the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge, and it is for them to decide what type of lighting they use to meet local needs.Highways England, which manages our motorways and major roads, is also working actively to minimise light pollution.

Lighting: Pollution Control

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce levels of light pollution; and if so, how they intend to do so.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government recognises the problem of light pollution. The Government's 25-Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to cut all forms of pollution and ease the pressure on the environment, including ensuring that light pollution is managed effectively.Current measures include Defra working with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the development of their Planning Policy Guidance on Light Pollution, which outlines factors which may be relevant when considering where, when and how much lights emanates from new developments together with possible human and ecological impacts.The Department for Transport encourages all local authorities to replace their street lighting with low-impact LED lighting wherever economically feasible.Additionally, Highways England is responsible for the strategic road network in England and is obliged to minimise the environmental impacts (including of road lighting) across the network. A full appraisal is carried out before any lighting project is commissioned, including in-depth analysis of the environmental impact and economic benefits of the scheme. All lighting on the network is designed according to current British standards which emphasise the importance of limiting light pollution, and older forms of lantern are in the process of being replaced with environmentally sensitive lighting when they become due for renewal.

Birds: Pest Control

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to publicise the changed conditions of GL40 licences to kill or take certain wild birds to conserve wild birds and to conserve flora and fauna, and (2) to inform licence holders and affected bodies about the changes to the conditions of such licences.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: On 1 January the Government issued three new general licences, GL40, GL41 and GL42. The new general licences set out when actions can be taken against certain wild bird species, and for what purpose. Prior to this, Defra published drafts of the new licences on 9 November 2020 on GOV.UK and contacted key representatives of farming, shooting and pest control industry bodies to alert them to this. Defra also met with representatives from the farming and shooting industry to discuss the draft licences. This enabled these groups to inform their members of the changes to help them make any preparations necessary before the licences came into force.

Water Companies: Standards

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an annual league table to assess the performance of water companies in addressing water leaks and wastage.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Discover Water website publishes up to date records of water company performance on leakage. Details can be found in the PDF attachment and at the following link: https://discoverwater.co.uk/leaking-pipes.HL11769 - Discover Water Attachment (pdf, 140.1KB)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Community Housing Fund

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of potential new build homes that are dependent on the Community Housing Fund.

Lord Greenhalgh: Until the end of March 2020, when the funding period ended, the Community Housing Fund was delivered outside London by Homes England (and its predecessor, the Homes and Communities Agency). Data provided by Homes England in May indicated that it had received applications for funding from projects anticipating the delivery of a total of 10,780 homes, 4,347 of which from applications that have been approved. The overwhelming majority of the funding requested was in the form of revenue grant to cover pre-development costs. Organisations that are registered as providers of social housing may seek capital funding from the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme operated outside London by Homes England and, where appropriate, Homes England has been encouraging them to do so.   Within London, the Community Housing Fund is delivered by the Greater London Authority (GLA) with £36 million grant awarded to it by MHCLG. Data provided by the GLA in December indicates a current pipeline of up to 1,387 community-led homes for which funding applications may be made to the GLA.

Community Housing Fund

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future of the Community Housing Fund.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Community Housing Fund closed at the end of March 2020. Departmental budgets for 2021/22 have been confirmed at the recent Spending Review and my department is now undertaking a process of allocation of budgets to individual programmes. The needs of the community-led housing sector will be taken into consideration alongside the full range of the Department’s priorities. In the meantime, organisations that are registered as providers of social housing may seek capital funding from the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme operated outside London by Homes England.

Cabinet Office

Dover Port: Government Assistance

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 5 January (HL11614), whether they have (1) received any further requests for funding from Port of Dover authorities, and (2) had any discussions with those authorities about increasing funding to provide capacity for increased border checks; and if any such requests for funding have been refused, what were the reasons for refusal.

Lord True: The allocation of the Port Infrastructure Fund was announced on 15 December. The Port of Dover was allocated £33,000. The entirety of the £200 million in the Port Infrastructure Fund has been allocated, so no further funding is available for any port.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the arrangements contained in the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland constitute a regulatory border in the Irish Sea.

Lord True: Every part of the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, is an integral part of the Kingdom. As a result of the devolution settlements, there are legal and regulatory differences between the constituent nations. The Northern Ireland Protocol and the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill ensure unfettered access for goods from Northern Ireland to the rest of the Kingdom. The Protocol does make specific provisions in relation to the movement of goods, but it does not constitute a "border". The UK government has made extensive investment and arrangements to facilitate free movement of goods to Northern Ireland, and, working with the devolved administration, will keep under review all necessary actions to ensure that is delivered.

Treasury

Financial Services

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to the economy of shadow banking.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Non-banks are a growing area of the global and UK financial system. While they help to diversify the provision of finance to the economy, they may also pose risks. Recognising this growth, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s 2019 Fiscal Risks Report assessed some of the risks of shadow banking. The Chancellor requested in March 2020, as part of the remit letter to the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC), that the FPC publishes a detailed assessment of the oversight and mitigation of systemic risks from the non-bank sector. The FPC published the preliminary findings of this assessment in the August 2020 Financial Stability Report. It highlighted that, as observed in the March 2020 ‘dash for cash’, some non-banks may be vulnerable to liquidity shocks. The report outlined further work to address these risks, both domestically and internationally. The FPC will follow this with a more detailed report in 2021 outlining gaps in, and potential measures that may be taken to increase, non-bank resilience. Alongside this, HM Treasury and the financial regulators are working internationally at the G20’s Financial Stability Board (FSB) to understand and address the vulnerabilities of the non-bank sector. The FSB has recently published assessments of the risks from non-banks in the ‘Holistic Review of the March Market Turmoil’ (November 2020) and the ‘Global Monitoring Report on Non-Bank Financial Intermediation’ (December 2020).

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total UK net public sector contribution to the (1) European Economic Community, and (2) EU, budget since the accession of the UK to the European Communities in 1973 at real 2019 prices.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The total UK Net Public Sector Contributions to the EEC during the period 1973 to 1993, adjusted to real 2019 prices, is equal to £51.5bn. The total UK Net Public Sector Contributions to the EU during the remaining period 1994 to 2019, adjusted to real 2019 prices, is equal to £174.7bn. These figures do not include receipts received by private UK entities, which would reduce the UK’s net contributions.

Corporation Tax

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many UK-registered companies have failed to submit corporation tax returns to HMRCin the last five years.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be compiled at disproportionate cost.

Capital Gains Tax: Tax Allowances

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have estimatedhow muchadditional tax revenue would be raised by abolishing the Capital Gains tax-free allowance; and if so, how much additional such revenue they estimate would be raised.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: HMRC do not currently publish an estimate for the cost of the Capital Gains Tax Annual Exempt Amount (AEA)[1]. A reliable estimate could only be made available at disproportionate cost. [1] The AEA appears in the “cost unavailable” table for the structural tax relief official statistics here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/minor-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs

Minimum Wage: Prosecutions

Lord Sikka: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers have been prosecuted for their failure to comply with regulations relating to the National Minimum Wage in each of the last five years; and what was the outcome of each such prosecution.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) should receive it. HMRC enforce the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) in line with the law and policy set out by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). The majority of NMW cases are subject to civil (non-criminal) sanctions, which include penalties of up to 200% of the arrears, and public naming. Prosecution does not guarantee payment of arrears to workers, can be lengthy, and is expensive for the taxpayer. HMRC therefore balance recovering NMW arrears for workers as quickly as possible with the robust enforcement of NMW and prosecution is generally reserved for the most serious cases that form part of a pattern of wider criminality and are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service who decide whether or not to prosecute. HMRC have a strong enforcement record on the NMW and since 2010-11 have completed nearly 25,000 NMW investigations, identifying over £100 million in national minimum wage arrears for over 950,000 workers and levying more than £59 million in penalties. The table below provides a breakdown of the number of employers prosecuted for breaches of National Minimum Wage legislation and the related outcome (fine imposed, costs imposed and compensation awarded) for each of the prosecutions in the last five (2015–2020) years. YearNumber of prosecutionsFine¹Cost²Compensation³2015/20160£0£0£02016/201741) £0 2) £500 3) £5,000 4) £14,000 or face possible 12-month jail term1) £0 2) £0 3) £1,860 4) £2,0001) £3,247 2) £0 3) £9,300 4) £4,4032017/20181£2,977£633£02018/20190£0£0£02019/20201£250£0£500 ¹ Fine imposed by the court on the business.² Court costs payable by the prosecuted individual.³ Compensation is any sum as decided in the judgment, to be paid to the individual affected by the employer’s actions to cover any financial loss or damage the successful party has suffered.

Bank Services

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that bank customers can check continuous payment authorisations with ease to help prevent (1) fraud, and (2) unwanted payment.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: A Continuous Payment Authority, or CPA, is defined as consent given by a customer for a payment service provider (for example, a customer’s bank) to make one or more payments from a customer’s payment account. They are often established to enable regular payments to be made for goods or services via a payment card - for example, for a magazine subscription - and are distinct from Direct Debits. The Payment Services Regulations regulate how CPAs are established, and the rights and obligations of payers, payees and payment service providers. In its published guidance on the regulations, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) states that consumers have the right to cancel CPAs by contacting their payment service provider at any time before the end of the business day before a payment is due to be made, and to obtain an immediate refund from their payment service provider if any future payments are debited from their account after they have revoked their consent. The customer may raise a complaint with their payment service provider if unhappy with their response. If this does not rectify the issue, the customer is able to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Furthermore, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is considering what further action to take on subscription contracts to: prevent consumers being charged unexpectedly; to make it easier for consumers to cancel unwanted subscriptions (including free trials and auto-renewals); and to avoid them facing unreasonable charges.

Money Laundering

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate further resources to monitor incidents of money laundering associated with trade finance involving (1) misleading invoices, (2) bills of lading, and (3) the role of banks and other finance specialists in this field.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government’s ambitious Economic Crime Plan sets out the significant action we are taking – in conjunction with the private sector – to combat money laundering and other economic crimes. Many of the reforms committed to in the Plan will benefit efforts to tackle trade-based money laundering (TBML), which the 2020 National Risk Assessment on Money Laundering & Terrorist Financing assessed as a growing risk. On TBML specifically, HMRC has established this threat as a priority illicit finance risk. HMRC’s work includes reviewing current trade compliance procedures and identifying opportunities to enhance our risk detection capabilities. More widely, we are also investing more to tackle economic crime. The 2020 Spending Review announced an increase in the government’s efforts to tackle economic crime by providing an additional £30.5 million in resource and £32.5 million in capital funding in 2021/22, including support for the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) which coordinates law enforcement’s response to money laundering. Further to this, we are also currently formulating our response to the Economic Crime Levy consultation. It will raise £100 million of additional funding per year to help fund reforms outlined in the Economic Crime Plan, including for the Suspicious Activity Reports reform programme and an uplift for the UK Financial Intelligence Unit. It will be an important source of funding for our ongoing action to tackle money laundering in all its forms.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Football: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the English Football League about theimpact of the ‘Rooney Rule’onthe racial diversity of football managers.

Baroness Barran: The Government is in regular contact with the English Football League on a range of issues, including diversity.Whilst the ‘Rooney Rule’ was not explicitly discussed, actions aimed at improving diversity, and their impact, were discussed in a roundtable with key football stakeholders led by Ministers in November 2020.